Oakland Raiders Skill-Positions are basically locked-in
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 14, 2011 5:44 PM PST
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PrintConsidering what our RBs and FB accomplished last season (2nd best rushing numbers in the NFL) our running game with DMC, Bush & Reece is good to go; we don't need to bring anyone in.
From statements made by Action Jackson and Coach Davis during the Jan. 18th press conference, it's clear that our WRs are also considered solid and that we shouldn't expect to see anyone new coming in.
Our TEs are more solid than the WRs, so expect Zach and Brandon again.
It's also certain that Jason Campbell is the Raiders' QB for the 2011 season and very likely that Bruce Gradkowski will remain in the back-up role - Grad was praised in the same press conference, Jason is used to having him as a back-up, and the Raider Nation still adores him (see representative below). There are some who want to bring in a QB, e.g. Vince Young. That is a possibility. However, the odds that a QB would be brought in to challenge Campbell are under 50% and more likely any such move would attempt to upgrade Frye or Boller.
Finally, we have our DBs in place - all fine athletes though several in need of some direction and coaching. Well, we have Rod Woodson now whose come for that very purpose. So I don't see Routt, Branch, Mitchell, Ware or even CJ going anywhere. As for Nnamdi, I hope he'll stay for $10 million/yr or less and wish him well if that's not enough. Personally though, I'd like to see another Safety brought in, i.e. Robert Sands the 6-5 215 lb phenom who's know as Predator at West Virginia.
Of course, the status quo of our skill-positions depends on signing FA's. But the skill positions of the Raiders are, for the most part, locked-in and given our coaching upgrades, we need only address the Offensive Line and Linebacker Corps through the Draft and FA to see dramatic improvements in our two most deficient areas of play: Rush Defense and Pass Blocking.
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I’m definitely not happy with our WR’s. With Chaz or not, they’re just too raw. Perhaps Murph will step it up though. Who knows? I’d just like a Vet there.
Bring me a shrubbery!
I understand. But with those press-conference comments: Ford's emergence, Schilens healthy, Murph playing pretty well and the amortisation of our 2009 draft pick
I’m not holding my breath.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 14, 2011 5:54 PM PST up reply actions
That's enough! What is this "Press Conference" comments?
I agree with the rest of your comment though. Though a Vet WR wouldn’t hurt. (Rice, Smith, Burress, Chad, Holmes)
The RaiderLaker
I agree a Vet would do us more good than bad, add depth
i mean murph and Chaz for a complete season sounds pretty good, but realistically speaking the injuries always hit us the worst ways.
Success is not measuredby what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds...
-Orison Swett Marden
I really think we'll see a lot more 11 personnel sets, with three wideouts
Rarely to start games, but I think we’ll try to stretch, and spread the field with formations, and motions this year. I think it’s the right thing to do, given the talent we have. And there’s no reason you can’t take one of our backs and line ’em up slot or flank, with two wideouts either bunched, or even trips, to cause defenses fits.
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
yeah of course i didnt get into formations
im just saying murph and chaz starting can do alot of good for us
Success is not measuredby what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds...
-Orison Swett Marden
I hope we can get Chaz on the field a lot more for a change
But those two can be lethal together. murph’s route skills and explosiveness, and Chaz’ range and size.
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
Defense,Defense and More Defense
I agree with you about our skill positions being in place but I disagree with you on Nnamdi . He has earned the right to be our highest paid defender on this team because he never bitches and he is a good a tackler as well as being a great cover corner.How many corners come up and tackle like he can.In the upcoming draft I would like to see us draft ol,db,s. Our defense is very close to being a elite group and losing Nnamdi would be would be devastating to this group.
$10 million for 5 years - would that satisfy you?
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 14, 2011 5:56 PM PST up reply actions
It would satisfy anyone posting on here, I believe !!!
With Nnamdi due to make 16+mil this year, if not for the voiding of the contract, anything under that would be a win-win !!! But 10 mil is a lo-ball number. IMO, start at 12 and max at 16mil, for 4 years!!! That’s a contract that could work, for both sides !!! You already know how I feel about Sands. IMO, he should be our first pick, followed by a center, LB’s & a QB. The left side of the O-Line should be addressed by FA’S !!! We would be ready for a very serious run next season !!!
What FAs though, Papa?
The Cheatriots are franchising Mankins, so we aren’t getting him. We might have to end up overpaying Gallery to stay.
No one likes us,
No one likes us,
We're the Raiders and we don't care...
"Darth Vader is a punk compared to Al Davis." - Hunter S Thompson
There plenty of other choices to replace Gallery
Harvey Dahl and Justin Blalock from the Falcons are both available along with Ritchie Ingocnito from the Phins and Kyle Kosier from Dallas. All those guys were rated higher than Gallery on Walterfootball.com
JUST DOMINATE BABY !!!
dont get incognito.
he is a penalty machine. (lol, the exact opposite of “incognito”)
I’ll take 11 players with heart on the field over 11 guys with just talent. Talent is fleeting, it goes away over time. Heart is what drives you to be better. To push yourself beyond what you think your capabilities are. To show us that when you strive, all things are possible.- SMP
formerly patriotguy2 ;)
No, It Will Not!
What good is saving a few bucks when he is the only corner we have.We could pay 4mil for player with half his skills but remember you get what you pay for. The Raiders if you remember made Kelly one of the highest paid dt in the league and did he deserve it, ahhh no. So why not pay the heart and soul of our team what he deserves. We need to get back to the soul patrol days when the db’s were as entertaining as the offense.
There are certain fiscal realities in play. I hope Nnamdi looks at the big picture and decides accordingly.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 15, 2011 6:17 PM PST up reply actions
he has earned the right to be our highest paid defender
but he shouldt get paid more than tom brady or any other elite QB, thats just ridiculous
by RyanTheRaider on Feb 14, 2011 8:23 PM PST up reply actions
$10 mm bucks
could still be too high if there’s a harder cap. Revis is at what $8mm? $8.5 mm still makes him highest paid DB; that could be the new market for nnambi.
by raiders4liffe on Feb 15, 2011 11:17 AM PST up reply actions
he probably is gonna get elite QB money
id be fine with 10-12, but i would rather see as you wrote around 8 or 9
by RyanTheRaider on Feb 15, 2011 12:18 PM PST up reply actions
from everything I have known of Nnamdi the last thing I expect is for him to be a mercenary
he will be realistic and I truly believe he wants to be a part of what we are building. After hearing what he has said since he became a free again I am fully confident that Al will pay him fairly and he will be with the Raiders.
I was listening to a interview between him and SVP and he was vehemently defending the Raiders and explaining that the contract was only voided due to ‘language in the contract’ also he still insisted he be listed as Raiders cornerback and said he could would find it ‘very strange’ to not be a Raider.
To be honest having seen the way he has been since the ‘voiding’ makes be truly believe he is one of the truest and greatest Raiders of all time – up there with Hayes and Brown
(I) Fuck with your soul like Ether
(WILL) Teach you the king you know you
(NOT) God's son across the belly
(LOSE) I'll prove you lost already
Agreed
To be honest having seen the way he has been since the ‘voiding’ makes be truly believe he is one of the truest and greatest Raiders of all time – up there with Hayes and Brown
He could run a clinic on how to compose oneself in media matters.
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
Could Not Agree More
Thanks , good post.As Big Al has shown in the past business is business and I hope they come to an agreement before the draft.
Congratulations to new Raider assistant coach Rod Woodson, he will be assisting CB's, he is a player that will add something right away...
by Rodney Sacramento on Feb 14, 2011 6:26 PM PST reply actions
We still need a blocking FB...
Perhaps Manase Tonga will grow into it like Reece did as a receiving FB, either way we need a true lead blocking FB.
Cable Bumaye! Raiders Bumaye!
Tonga was known more as a receiving and rushing FB in college,
but hopefully we can see blocking from him soon.
I’ll take 11 players with heart on the field over 11 guys with just talent. Talent is fleeting, it goes away over time. Heart is what drives you to be better. To push yourself beyond what you think your capabilities are. To show us that when you strive, all things are possible.- SMP
formerly patriotguy2 ;)
if Bruce Campbell isnt gonna be starting on the line this year
i would love to see him as our blocking FB in short yardage or goal line situations.
by RyanTheRaider on Feb 15, 2011 12:23 PM PST up reply actions
YES!!!
I’ll take 11 players with heart on the field over 11 guys with just talent. Talent is fleeting, it goes away over time. Heart is what drives you to be better. To push yourself beyond what you think your capabilities are. To show us that when you strive, all things are possible.- SMP
formerly patriotguy2 ;)
I thought Reece's blocking improved seven fold throughout the season
i’m not sure FB is a really great need at all
(I) Fuck with your soul like Ether
(WILL) Teach you the king you know you
(NOT) God's son across the belly
(LOSE) I'll prove you lost already
I completely agree, but think we will continue looking for a Crockett style guy
For blocking and short yardage. I think it’s never absent from Al’s radar.
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
True
But I also think that having Bush (assuming he stays) also negates the need fora short yardage back, do you really want a FB taking carries away from Bush?
I would love it if Bush swallowed his pride a little and played a little FB like Marcus and Bo used to.
(I) Fuck with your soul like Ether
(WILL) Teach you the king you know you
(NOT) God's son across the belly
(LOSE) I'll prove you lost already
He's definitely perfectly suited for it
And I pretty much agree about the short yardage situations. No need. Just need an awesome lead blocker like Neal, Richardson, and Ritchie in their prime.
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
I wonder...
Kory Hall over in Green Bay should be available, he ended up strictly a special teamer up there, and he is a helluva blocking FB—-plays a little LB, too.
Refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death
LB's
We need REAL 4-3 outside linebackers. Kam and Quentin are both not linebackers but undersized pass rushing DE’s. Our run D will not succeed until we get outside backers who understand how to fill gaps, hold edge contain, and have get to the ball instincts.
I do think Goethel can be one of those guys if he’s able not get hurt and miss practice time as he did last year.
As it is now we need to draft O-line and LB in my opinion.
I also believe our sneaker pick up from last year is Jarvis Moss. If he can put a few more pounds on and find some fire, he may just be a huge addition to the team.
I feel we have yet to see the best of what these young kids have to offer
Injuries, poor play calling, wrong personnel and wrong packages have all contributed to their struggle. I hope we have mostly put this behind us. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the addition of a solid veteran wideout, but believe we’ll avoid baggage at all costs, which narrows available guys down to just a few. The Stokelys, Jacsksons, and Smiths out there to name a few, but only if they come cheap, and say all the right things in interviews.
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
What do you think of possibly signing Plaxico Burress
right out of the can? He could have a Mike Vick type comeback year in him, (with something to prove)could come fairly cheap and is slated to get out in June. If he said all the right things in an interview he could be a steal.
JUST DOMINATE BABY !!!
I'm all for it.
"I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes!"
by golfswithglock on Feb 15, 2011 11:39 AM PST up reply actions
All in too
Plax would make a fine addition, and provide some much needed insurance for the oft injured Schilens
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
I think it will likely be a year before he does much.
Great shape in jail and great shape in the NFL are pretty different.
I agree with everything except what you said about Nnamdi. Nnamdi Asomugha is the best person/player the Raiders have ever had. He is the ultimate team player and our leader. He does more charity work then any Raider ever has and he also the BEST CORNER in the league. Revis gave up 4 or 5 touchdowns this season so he isn’t even in the conversation with Nnamdi and I personally think he never was. I also think bringing in Rod Woodson was a plus and ploy to keep Nnamdi considering he played and learned behind both Charles and Rod his first couple years as a Raider. We also now have a better coach in Hue. Might run more than a couple plays now on offense. (we seriously had the smallest playbook on offense in football when Cable was calling the shots with no off. coordinator in 09-10 season.)
GO RAIDERS, Keep Nnamdi -first line of business. He is the perfect role model.
by Nick Masset Is The Man on Feb 14, 2011 8:34 PM PST reply actions
Sure, as long as his cost doesn't make resigning all our other FA keepers
or adding some FA’s to plug our weaknesses prohibitive. Nnamdi may be the greatest corner to ever play the game, but if he is the only thing we have we will lose, and this is about winning.
Hopefully with the hiring of Woodson, Nnamdi will see fit to give us a “hometown” discount and sign for Sons estimate of $10 mil a year for 5 years with performance bonuses. That would allow for the keeping of the guys we need to keep and the addition of players to plug our weaknesses or loses in FA
JUST DOMINATE BABY !!!
Needs going into the 2011 draft and off season..
We have some big holes to fill if some of our players leave for FA.
- Nnamdi is a huge hole if we don’t resign him. Routt gets burn way too much to have him as our #1 or #2 DB. C. Johnson has been fading each year and not going to get much better. Definitely need to upgrade DB position.
- OL, G, RT, C. If Gallery goes, there’s a huge hole at LG. C and RG could use some improvement and RT could be another missing part. This is crucial to QB protection and the 2nd rated rushing attack last year.
- LB needs improvement around McClain. OLBs must make more plays. Wimbley did a good job going after QBs, but was lost during coverage. Scott is not a OLB and is also in trouble when asked to cover.
- Campbell is our starter, but I would like another young talent QB, or another back up QB that can come in and play solid football if Campbell goes down.
Positives:
Young WR corps looks promising. Ford can be a #2. Louis Murphy can improve, he just needs to stay healthy. Praying and hoping DHB can continue to improve. Schilens needs to stay healthy.
DL finally has some youth, talent and dept.
Safeties needs to keep improving, talent and speed are there. They need to gel.
Need to keep Bush with McFadden to have the thunder and lightning duo.
Routt is severely underrated
i hope we play more zone this year so he can show what he can do
by RyanTheRaider on Feb 15, 2011 12:25 PM PST up reply actions
Starting wideouts
Plax and Hey-bey. Add Jacoby into the mix in slot formations.
"I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes!"
You make Sanjay Lal look better.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 15, 2011 6:04 AM PST up reply actions
Got any better ideas?
Nevermind. Fuck your idea.
"I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes!"
by golfswithglock on Feb 15, 2011 7:51 AM PST up reply actions
Schilens and Ford should start and Murph and "-" rotate w/Ford slotted with single back set ... then Murph opposite Chaz as #2 WR
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 15, 2011 8:10 AM PST up reply actions
Shilens won't make it through camp healthy.
Even if he does, nobody really even knows his potential or lack there of. The guy is a walking glass jaw. I’m a huge Jacoby fan. But I don’t think he will suprise anybody next year. He’s known. And I think he’s going to get bullied due to his size. We’ll see how he responds to it. I think he’s more valuable as a kick returner and role player on the offense. Starting him at wideout to go along with special teams may be asking too much from a phsyical standpoint. There is no way, like it or not, Hey-Bey goes to 4th on the depth chart with his salary. All I can say when it come to our receiving corps is…holy shit we better sign Zach Miller long term.
"I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes!"
by golfswithglock on Feb 15, 2011 8:54 AM PST up reply actions
Ford reminds me of a young Steve Smith
I think he can be a legit number one if he’s deployed right. I really like how he attacks the ball in the air. If we could get “-” to do that, he’d improve exponentially.
we never retreat we always ATTACK!!!
by transparent58 on Feb 15, 2011 12:16 PM PST up reply actions
I'm all for adding Plax
but DHB (although he probably will start) inspires no confidence from me. I’d rather see Plax and a healthy (I know it’s a long shot) Schillens with Jacoby and Murphy mixed in.
Johnnie Lee and Nick Miller can be shown the door.
JUST DOMINATE BABY !!!
As for Nnamdi I would like to see him stay but for a reasonable price to help solidify the secondary 10 mill/yr is NOT low balling him considering that he still would be an top paid CB. You just have to add incentives to that, where he could be making up to 12-13mill/yr plus it would have to be long term deal 4-5yrs or he’s just not coming back. As for draft needs with our 1st round gone we need to address multi DB someone who can play FS,SS,CB or even LB on blitzing packages like Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma.But you’ve probably heard by now that Dontay Moch OLB, Nevada is rumored to run a 4.25 40-yard dash, well combine that with his overall athleticism and it will be tough for Al to pass up you know Al loves his speed. Plus OLB is one of needs on defense
I like everything except all this faith everyone has in Sands
Those are college kids. How many Elite College QB did he go up against or RB. I am not saying he can’t be good. I just would rather keep an avg. player instead of giving up house money for a gamble.
Fair point, plus he's coming in before his Junior year. But, his intensity and athleticism stands out. So, we'll leave the decision
to Al, Hue & Rod.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 15, 2011 9:20 AM PST up reply actions
agreed.
I am not going to lie. I like Huff but he has to play at a higher level. I think Huff,Branch, and Routt will shine because of Woodson.
I hope we can get Roberts Sands in the 3rd or 4th…and if we do get him who does he replace? Is sands strictly a FS or can he Play SS? Huff and Sands? Branch and Sands? Mitchell and Sands? with Woodson coming in i think he may be able to turn Mitchell into a great player. Then we could have a Missile and a Predator at safety.
by RyanTheRaider on Feb 15, 2011 8:50 PM PST up reply actions
Offensive line help
I’ve been think a lot about Jared Gaither lately. He’s a restricted free agent coming off an injury wasted season, but showed great promise before he went down. When he played, he was a legit LT and if he is healthy I would love to see Oakland take a chance on him. He’s only 24 and the Ravens aren’t very optimistic on resigning him:
It’s kind of a big gamble because of his injuries, but he could be worth the risk. Thoughts??
Coming out of Baltimore, Hue's fully aware of Gaither. So whether we move on him or not is probably already determined
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 15, 2011 9:26 AM PST up reply actions
I agree to an extent
I don’t think Gaither’s talent is in question at all. It all depends on his injuries. If he’s fully healthy, I can’t imagine Hue (and Al Saunders) jumping at the chance to get him.
He would be a welcomed addition opposite Veldheer
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"We had to get back to who we are, and that's physical and smash-mouth." - Robert Gallery 12/5/2010
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 15, 2011 9:31 AM PST up reply actions
Another Raven that might be a better choice is
Marshall Yanda. he plays both right tackle and right guard, so he versatile, he’s only 26 years old and has no debilitating back problems like Gaither. You can bet Hue knows all about this kid too.
JUST DOMINATE BABY !!!
good call
Yanda is a FA and can most likely be had for less money. I read that Harbaugh sees him more as a right guard rather than a tackle, but it appears he can play either position.
I find it telling that there doesn't seem to be much interest in Gaither
After all, it is a position of need, and he is a player that should be available, and is known to the HC. If there continues to be no interest shown, then I have to believe that it’s for a reason.
Even without knowing for sure, I would be more interested in Yanda…
Failure builds character; success reveals it
Well, there really can't be any intertest in him yet
He’s a restricted FA and he can’t sign with anyone until a new CBA is agreed upon. Trust me, he’ll generate plenty of interest once teams are actually allowed to contact FA’s.
I meant when he was on the trading block
He didn’t appear to draw much interest as a trade possibility, and it remains to be seen how much he will be pursued as a FA. He will get some looks, but the question is how much real interest, as opposed to ‘kicking the tires’.
The answer remains to be seen, as you pointed out, but it may not be what many people thought…
Failure builds character; success reveals it
It'll depend on if teams think his back problems are behind him ...
which they rarely are. If he could stay healthy and on the field, then he be a hot commodity.
JUST DOMINATE BABY !!!
He's still a clear upgrade to the position, and could give us a starter opposite the other Jared
Jared squared?
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."--John Madden
""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson
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